These easy beef bowls are a quick and delicious Asian-inspired recipe that makes the perfect weeknight dinner. Ready in about 30 minutes!
These beef and rice bowls are Korean-inspired, but I do use hoisin sauce which is technically Chinese. There's many similar recipes floating around on Pinterest these days, and I can't believe I didn't put my own twist on this recipe sooner. That beef is just so good. Most of the recipes I've seen just use brown sugar and soy sauce, but I love the taste of hoisin sauce. It provides a depth of flavor that makes this dish taste extra special.
This meal has quickly become one of my favorite quick dinners. I don't always have time to re-make stuff that I post on the blog since I'm always coming up with new recipes, but this one will definitely be on repeat.
Just a note on serving these ground beef bowls - you don't need to top 'em with sesame seeds like I did. Turns out that ground beef is not the prettiest thing to photograph, so I was desperately raiding my pantry trying to figure out how the heck to make the bowls look more appealing in the photos. The photos you see are my third attempt at photographing this dish. 😛
What kind of beef to use?
I prefer using extra lean (at least 96% lean) ground beef for this recipe because then you don't have to worry about draining the fat. It's also an easy way to manage calories with less effort.
What is hoisin sauce?
According to Google, hoisin sauce is "a sweet, spicy, dark red sauce made from soybeans, vinegar, sugar, garlic, and various spices that's widely used in southern Chinese cooking". I always keep hoisin sauce in my fridge. If you've never bought it before, it's quite readily available. You can find it in the Asian section of most major grocery stores.
How to make ground beef and rice bowls
- In a skillet, brown the beef until it's cooked through.
- Stir in the sauce ingredients.
- Add the chopped red pepper and cook it for a few more minutes until it's tender-crisp.
- Serve over rice and with the optional garnish. Easy! (Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below).
A few recipe tips:
- You don't need to go out and buy sriracha sauce just for this recipe if you never use it, but I do like the flavor it adds. I didn't add a lot since I'm not great with spice myself, but you can always add more if you want to give this recipe more heat.
- I added a red pepper for color and a bit of freshness. If you don't like red pepper, you could leave it out - it won't break anything.
- To easily grate fresh ginger, store it in the freezer! This way I never run out of fresh ginger, and it is much easier to grate.
- You don't have to serve this dish with rice. Try cauliflower rice, quinoa, noodles, or serve it with other veggies. Or just eat it with a spoon straight out of the pan like I maaaay have done when I first made it.
- This is the type of recipe where you can definitely adjust the sauce ingredients to taste, so don't be shy!
- This recipe can be ready in about 15-20 minutes if you use Instant Rice.
Other ground beef recipes you may like:
- Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry
- Beef Ramen Noodles (Stir Fry)
- Homemade Hamburger Helper
- Simple Ground Beef Casserole
- Teriyaki Ground Beef
Will you give these easy Asian beef bowls a try?
Questions? Ask me in the comments below. 🙂
Easy Beef Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked rice I used white jasmine rice
- 1 pound extra lean ground beef
- 1 tablespoon (packed) brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- Garnish (optional): scallions, sesame seeds
Instructions
- Cook the rice according to package directions. If you have a different amount you usually make for 4 people, just make your usual amount.
- Meanwhile, add the beef to a skillet over medium-high heat and break it up with your spoon as you go along until it's cooked (approx. 8-10 minutes). If there's a lot of excess fat, drain it.
- Take the pan off the heat and stir in the sauce ingredients (sugar, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sriracha, ginger, and garlic).
- Reduce the heat to medium and return the pan to the heat. Add the red pepper pieces. Cook for a few more minutes, stirring often, until the peppers are tender-crisp.
- Serve the beef over the rice and garnish as desired.
Notes
- To easily grate fresh ginger, freeze a whole piece. It grates much easier and you'll always have some on-hand. This is the handy tool I use to grate/zest it.
- If you don't have sriracha sauce, you can leave it out. If you love sriracha, don't hesitate to add more than 1 teaspoon!
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Brenda Woods says
Quickly became a family fav. Used a teason- ish of ginger paste instead of fresh. Also added crushed red chili flakes. Added scallion in with pepper adore to garnish. So easy and delish
Natasha says
Fantastic!! I'm so glad it's a hit in your home, Brenda!
Suzanne says
I made this minus the ginger (I hate ginger) & I sautéed the whites of the green onions with the ingredients & garnished with the greens. It was awesome. I’ve tried a few bulgoggi recipes that disappointed but this beef bowl was more what I wanted for taste & it was a hit. We’ve made it twice in a few weeks. Easy & quick after a workday when you don’t feel like cooking. I can’t wait to try more recipes-it’s hard to find good ones that actually turn out well & so I’m excited about finding your site!
Natasha says
I'm so happy you like it so much!! 🙂 Thanks for your sweet comment. Let me know if you try anything else.
emily powers says
This recipe was so delicious and my entire family loved it! I did add water chestnuts, shitake mushrooms and the white parts of the scallions to the beef and will probable make more sauce next time because it was sooooo good! Thanks for the recipe! This will be added as a regular to our rotation.
Natasha says
That's awesome!! So glad you liked it. You're welcome! Your additions sound delish.
Monique says
Definitely adding to weekly rotation! My kids and husband loved this recipe, as did I!
Natasha says
Woo hoo!! Thank you 🙂
Diane says
This recipe was easy and tasty! I added cilantro as a garnish and that really completed the dish!
Natasha says
So glad you enjoyed it, Diane! 🙂
Julia says
This was an easy meal to put together and a fantastic meal to eat!
Natasha says
Excellent!! Thrilled you enjoyed it, Julia!
Shaneatra Neely says
This was a great quick addition to my collection! Very easy to make. Will definitely be making again!!
Yvonne says
Great sauce to use for other dishes! I had all the
Ingredients on hand and it was easy to prepare. Going to serve with rice and butter lettuce for wraps.
Natasha says
That's great!! 🙂
Carol says
I'll be making tonight. I make something similar called laab and use ground turkey . Looking forward to trying your recipe. I'll add some carrots and cabbage.
Natasha says
I hope you'll enjoy it!
Mary MacDonald says
One of my goals for next year is to cook more adventurously. I'm not a picky eater but we seem to default to a few recipes in rotation. This will definitelt be a nice departure from our predictable go-tos. We get half a cow form my cousin's farm a couple of times a year so there's always beef in the freezer.
Also, thank-you Thank You THANK YOU for the tip about storing ginger in the freezer. I get mine by the 1/3 pound from an organic produce subscription and it's shrivelled before I can use it all.
Natasha says
I think that's an excellent goal!! I'm glad that you liked the ginger tip! It really was a game changer for me. 🙂
Cindy Tate says
Tried this for dinner last night, it was yummy,I will make again. One thing is when you make asian dishes you can use almost any veggie in place of or with the peppers. I used rough cut cabbage and sliced onions as I didn't have green onions for garnish. I would love to try zucchini, mushrooms, green beans. Thank You for this wonderful recipe.
Natasha says
Glad you liked it!!
Liz says
I made this for dinner tonight and it was so good! The sauce alone is delicious, definitely going to use your recipe for the next time I make stir fry. I doubled the sauce and topped with quick pickled shredded carrots, shallots, & jalapeños. This dinner was so easy to make and came together very quickly, I'm adding it to my rotation. Thanks so much for quality, accessible recipes!
Natasha says
Awesome! You're welcome! 😀
Triniti says
I really love this recipe! I don’t enjoy cooking and always look for quick, easy and healthy ideas. I’ve made this several times. Thanks for this recipe. 😋
Natasha says
I'm so happy to hear that!! 🙂
Brandi says
Delicious. Used ground elk instead of beef, and topped off the bowl with fresh shredded cabbage to give it a crunch. Yum
Natasha says
Awesome!!
Daisy says
I made this with impossible burger in an effort to not eat cow flesh. I added some steamed veg on the side.
It was very good!!
Natasha says
Awesome!!
AngelaML says
Hi again Natasha! Made this tonight and it was fabulous, a huge hit by all! And I have to say it was by far the easiest recipe of yours I have made. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I'm so thankful to your commenters as it gave me great ideas. I doubled the sauce based on their suggestion. I do not do peppers, but substituted with shredded carrots and also added black beans. Served it over jasmine rice (made in the Ipot). I also added half lean turkey to the hamburger to make it healthier. With the tasty sauce it is not noticeable to us.
Loved the combination of the sauce ingredients. So tasty! We skipped the sriracha as no one thought it was needed.
Natasha says
Really glad you enjoy this, Angela! 🙂
Vera says
I doubled the sauce & added shaved carrots. Delicious... thanks for sharing
Natasha says
Awesome! So glad you liked it!
Puja says
I don’t eat beef dodo you think it could be substituted w turkey or chicken? What additional steps/changes would you make
Natasha says
I can’t say without testing, but I think swapping ground turkey or chicken would be fine. Let me know how it goes!
Daisy says
I used impossible burger and it was great.
Jess says
Making this for the second time! I have some sweet potatoes to use up so I'm throwing some roasted ones in along with some kimchi. Yum!
Natasha says
Wonderful! Love that sweet potato idea!
Jeri says
This recipe was easy, fast, and delicious! My entire family loved it. Definitely putting this recipe in our rotation. Thank you!
Natasha says
So happy to hear that, Jeri! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Brie says
Great recipe! But your site has so many pop up ads, I won’t be coming back.
Natasha says
Glad you liked it. It has one pop up ad (the video one). No other popups unlike many other sites. Ads are how I earn my living to provide you with free recipes.
John says
Your loss. One of the best recipe blogs anywhere. She provides so much content I don’t begrudge her earning something from it. And this recipe is delicious 🤤
Natasha says
Thank you so much, John! 🙂
Kati says
This was delicious! I used ground bison because it’s what I had and, I must say, I have a new recipe to add to my rotation for work lunches! This was so easy and so flavorful!
Natasha says
So happy you enjoyed it!! I love that you used bison. Thanks for commenting, Kati!
Shalini Persaud says
This is absolutely delicious I sauteed the ground beef with sesame oil, added shredded carrots along with green peppers and it was dynamite. Thank you
Natasha says
You're very welcome!
Rich LaFarge says
Just made them Beef and rice bowl. My wife and I loved it. We need more sauce so next time , I may double the sauce recipe plus add a cup of chicken sauce. It is going into my weekly rotation.
Natasha says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! 🙂
Courtney says
Love this recipe - nice to do something different with beef other than taco's or pasta! I didn't have hoisin sauce in the house so just added a little extra soy and peanut butter and it gave it great flavor 🙂
Thanks as always for your quick and easy recipes! Enjoying trying them out.
Natasha says
Aww I'm so pleased you enjoyed it and were able to tweak it!! XO
Beth says
Wow, these were so easy!!!! Like, I can’t believe how easy it was! I used red peppers and topped with green onions and they looked sooooo good- pretty and delicious. This will be a regular dish in my house.
Natasha says
Haha awesome!! So glad you liked it, friend!
Shirley says
I added red kidney beans, and this was a huge hit. Thank you.
Natasha says
Wonderful!!
Tammy Vela says
My whole family really loved this meal, and they're SUPER picky.... they do NOT try to coddle me when I cook. They rate everything on a 1 to 10 scale and they rated this an 8.75. For context, nothing has received higher than a 9 at my house. 😂 This will go in our rotation for sure!!
Natasha says
Lol 8.75... I like how precise that is! 😀
Becky Black says
This was sooo easy and tasted so good! With the stores being low on a lot of items during this time, I didn't get green onions, fresh ginger root or red bell peppers. I was able to find yellow bell peppers and scallions. I had a jar of dried ginger at home.
My husband was in the kitchen peeking at what smelled so good while I was cooking.
This is definitely a keeper!
Natasha says
I'm so glad you were able to make it work, Becky! 🙂
Brenda says
Tasted the sauce and seems too salty. Any ideas?
Natasha says
I’d just mix it with the rice and maybe add some lime juice over top? If you liked the recipe, perhaps you could use low sodium soy sauce next time. ♥️
Chrissy says
Trying tonight, anyone who wants a less salty version try CoCoAminos in lieu of soy sauce. Especially if you need this to be a gluten free meal
Natasha says
Good tip!
Morgan says
Delicious! Adding to our weeknight rotation.
Natasha says
Awesome!!
Karen says
Such a fabulous easy dinner Natasha! This was done in record time! And so much flavor. My kids loved it. Great recipe!! ❤️❤️
Natasha says
Yay! Awesome. Thanks for letting me know, friend! XO
Nan McAfee says
Quick, easy, and ingredients I almost always have on hand!
Natasha says
Awesome! So glad you enjoy it!
Fay says
I made this today. So so sooooo good!!
Natasha says
That's awesome!! 🙂
Karen Richardson says
Could I use shaved beef for this?
Natasha says
I don't see why not... but it won't take long to cook at all, so I'd just watch you don't overcook it.
Amy says
This dish is so good and so easy. I make it at least once a week.
Natasha says
I'm so happy to hear that! XO
Marga Seneres says
Super love this one of my favorite recipes ever 🙂 Very easy to make! I am a huge fan of your Natasha and my IG bookmarks are filled with your recipes ❤️
Natasha says
Wonderful!! Thank you so much for following along!!! I'm very glad you enjoy my recipes. 😀
Amy says
This dish was so good. Looking for advice on making it and freezing it or making the sauce ahead of time so the kids can quickly throw it together.
Natasha says
So glad you liked it!! Hmmm... you could try freezing the beef and sauce once it's cooked. I'm not entirely sure if it would work, but I think it's worth a try!
Jude Brotherton says
Wow! Made this for dinner tonight. An absolute winner. The teenager proclaimed it the best thing she's eaten in ages & wants it again at the weekend! Thank you for a super easy & delicious meal. 🙂
Natasha says
So happy to hear it, Jude!! Thanks for leaving me a comment! 😀
Emily says
I made this tonight and really enjoyed it! I love the hint of spice from the sriracha too. I wonder how this would be with ground turkey?
Natasha says
So glad you liked it!! I had a couple of readers on IG tell me they made it with ground turkey and liked it. ☺️
Yvonne says
Making this for the umpteenth time! This was an immediate hit with us. My husband is very picky and this has gone into a regular rotation. We usually serve it over cauliflower rice. The flavour is great, i almost always have the ingredients on hand, and it is amazing leftover the next day for lunch. Oh...my husband throws some crushed peanuts on his for a little extra crunch. Thanks for sharing your recipes!
Natasha says
You're very welcome!! I'm so happy this has been a regular meal for you guys 🙂
AMD says
Deeelish! I added some Napa cabbage for extra crunch. Thanks for posting 😋
Natasha says
Great idea! I need to try that! Thanks!
Y says
Loved this recipe! I've made it several times and everyone loves it. I hope to see more rice recipes on the blog.
Natasha says
I am so happy to hear it!! Thanks for letting me know! 🙂
Kim says
I rarely eat meat, so I made this tonight with beyond beef. Cooked it the exact same and turned out AMAZING!!! I also added broccoli and left off the rice. So good!!! Your flavors are just amazing!!!
Natasha says
I am so happy it worked out, Kim!! Thank you 🙂
Labisi says
This was amazing, tried it for the fam and they loved it... all the way from Nigeria
Natasha says
Aww so happy to hear that, Labisi! 🙂 Thanks for leaving me a comment!
Emily says
These were terrific! And are a new family favorite even for my picky eater!!
Natasha says
That is so good to hear, Emily! 😀
Nicole Vanlimbeek says
I tripled the sauce! Looooved it! 😋
Natasha says
Wonderful!! Thanks, Nicole! 😀
Nicole Vanlimbeek says
Is this recipe gluten free?
Natasha says
I don't believe so. You'd have to check the labels of the ingredients you're planning on using to be safe.
Stephanie says
This was so delicious and quick! I don't think I've ever had dinner ready that fast before. My partner loved it. 3rd recipe of yours that I've tried - all of them have been hits.
Natasha says
I am so happy to hear that, Stephanie!! 🙂
Alicia k. says
Obsessed with this recipe- I have made it 3x now! So so tasty, easy for weeknights, and very popular at my house. Super glad I found you on instagram!
Natasha says
Wow... I am so happy to hear it!! 😀
Wati W says
I made this last night and it was a hit!! So easy and fast and Delicious and tasty!!! Instead of rice I ate it with lettuce (just like PFCheng’s lettuce wraps).
Natasha says
I am so pleased to hear it, Wati! Thanks so much for leaving me a sweet comment. 😀
Kim says
I just came across your website a couple of days ago. I have made 2 dishes of yours, and my mom has made 1. Excited to try this one tonight!
Also super handy that you’re from Canada — I can actually find the ingredients! (From Calgary!)
Thanks for these amazing recipes!
Natasha says
I am so glad you and your mom found me! *Waves from Edmonton* 🙂
CLAIRE says
This is my 4th dish of yours I have made and it's amazing xx
Natasha says
Aww your comment made my morning, Claire! 😀
Kate says
Super good! Was a hit - fast and easy 👍🏻
Natasha says
Awesome, thanks for letting me know 🙂
Maria says
Which brand of hoisin is a good one?
Natasha says
Hi Maria! I currently have the Lee Kum Kee brand in my fridge. I'm in Canada, so what's sold where may vary per country. I like the brand I mentioned, but I'm not too picky and I typically just buy what's available at Safeway.
Kenai says
This was a hit! My husband and 3 kiddos truly loved it. Quick and easy is what I look for. Under 30 minutes. Thank you!
Natasha says
That's awesome! Thanks, Kenai 🙂
Ashlyn @ F5 Method says
I've never tried hoison but love a good Asian dish and this one looks fantastic!
Natasha says
Thanks, Ashlyn!